Aaliyah likes to sing, dance and draw. She also loves to do her hair and makeup.

She also does well academically.

She enjoys listening to music, going to the movies and roller skating.

Need help, advice as you foster?

May is
National Foster Care Month. Initiatives under taken during the month are funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Child Welfare Information Gateway.

Both agencies work to help those caring for the more than 430,000 kids in foster care by offering resources, advice and FAQs.

More support available for some former foster youth

You might be eligible for Ohio's
Bridges program if you have emancipated from county care, are between the ages of 18 and 21, and are currently:

- Completing your high school degree or GED- Enrolled in a post-secondary institution for at least 9 credit hours- Participating in an employment program like CCMEP or Job Corps- Working at least 80 hours a month- Unable to work/study due to a medical condition.

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We're using a new tool to assess children

Hamilton County will soon use a new tool to help child welfare workers gather and assess information about children, while also helping the agency measure the outcomes and determine the strengths of contractors providing services to those children.

The predicted end result: a better understanding of a child's needs to ensure more effective treatment, which will lead to fewer placement disruptions, increased opportunities for reunification and improved safety.

"Keeping children safe - that is the end goal of everything we do here," said Margie Weaver, assistant director - Children's Services. "Every tool we use, every program we implement, every new effort we engage in, these are all puzzle pieces that ultimately connect together to support safety decision making."

Kids Insight's Treatment Outcome Package (TOP) is an innovative, holistic and easy-to-use approach to assessing and improving the emotional health and well-being of children involved with the agency's Children's Services division. TOP asks the child, and those close to a child - birth and foster parents, clinicians, teachers, caseworkers and the Children's Services worker, among others - to answer a 10-minute survey that will measure 11 to 13 different dimensions of well-being. The survey takers will be asked to assess things such as how a child is sleeping and how well they are doing in school.

Calvin Williams has worked on fatherhood projects for years. He has counseled hundreds, if not thousands, of men on how to have better relationships with their children, their children's mothers and how to find a job in order to pay child support.

He has also been there himself. His son is 24 now, but when he was younger, Calvin and the boy's mother had to work hard to stay committed to their son even though they did not remain a couple.

So he is the perfect person to be HCJFS' new fatherhood coordinator.

"I've got a lot to learn, of course," Williams said. "I am really honored to be here. It's a tremendous opportunity for impact on a new level."

Williams has been associated with many programs and agencies during his 27 years in Cincinnati, including the Genesis men's program, SUMA Fatherhood Project and Lighthouse REAL Dads. He also is former co-director of the Community Building Institute at Xavier University.